The present invention relates to an energy saving service offering method and its apparatus, which is suitable for use in connection with an energy saving operation performed for example, in factories.
In the Kyoto Conference on Global Warming held in December, 1997, a warming curtailment goal was defined so that the reduction fraction may be 6% of that in 1987. Taking this into consideration, the “Law related to Rationalization of Energy Usage (Energy Saving Law)” was amended and enforced in April of 1999. Though large-scale factories had been obligated by the law to engage in the promotion of energy saving features initially, the scope of the Energy Conservation Act was augmented to include medium-scale factories as well.
The load facility conventionally used in factories includes fans, blowers and pumps, and various motors are used for driving such equipment. It is often a common approach to install inverters in order to reduce the electric power consumption (promote energy saving) in various motors for driving this equipment. In the case of attempting to reduce electric power consumption by installing inverters, whether inverters should be purchased, rent or leased is determined by calculating the advantages brought about by installing inverters.
In the conventional method, in case of purchasing inverters, the initial investment is typically quite large, and in case of obtaining inverters on the basis of a lease or rental contract, the rental fee may be high or the user may be obliged to continue to pay the rental fee, even if the expected effect of energy saving is not attained by the user.
The conventional business schemes and their problems are described more specifically below according to those examples discussed above.
(A) Purchase Scheme and its Problem
In a case where the user purchases inverters combined with new motors, or purchases inverters alone, the user has to provide the initial investment and bear a heavy burden of a large investment, and such investments are assumed to be made before it is possible to determine the extent of the electric power consumption saving that may actually be attained.
(B) Lease or Rental Schemes and Their Problems
In leasing inverters with new motors, or inverters alone, the user enters into a contract whereby he or she purchases the installed facility or equipment within a fixed period of time. Therefore, the user can not cancel the contract and has to bear a heavy burden even if he or she does not need the facility or equipment any more.
In the rental contract, in which the user uses the facility or equipment by paying rental charges, the rental charge is typically comparatively higher than the lease charge.
The lease and rental schemes described above have a problem in that the user has to execute the contract and pay a certain lease or rental charge in advance before the extent of the electric power consumption saving is identified.